The Price of Friendship
by FaithInHim4ever
Summary: What if Aladdin/Jasmine had met Sadira in a different way? What if Jasmine is able to give Sadira the one thing she never had? How would it change her life? R/R
1. Chapter 1

DISC: I DO NOT own any of the chars from Aladdin. They belong to Disney. I do however own the storyline of this story, along with Jasmine and Aladdin's daughter, Alia Faith.

"The Price of Friendship"

Chapter 1

The night was warm with just a hint of a breeze. The lights in the palace window glowed brightly, giving the city of Agrabah a friendly look.

Inside the palace, everyone was sleeping peacefully. Well almost everyone.

In the royal bedroom, a slim figure rolled over as a cry pierced the air. The figure opened her eyes and sat up in bed. Pushing a few strands of her long, black hair out of her face, Princess Jasmine stood and started out of the room when a male voice spoke from behind her.

"Jasmine?"

Walking back over to the bed, Jasmine put a finger to her lips.

"Shh, it's okay. Go back to sleep. I'm checking on Alia."

"Do you need my help?" Aladdin asked.

"No. I'll be fine."

Entering the nursery that Genie had helped to create, Jasmine walked over to her daughter's crib and lifted her into her arms.

"Hey hey, shh, it's okay. Mommy's here now. I'm here. Did something scare you?"

Alia gazed up at her mother, her identical brown eyes locking with hers. Reaching out her left hand, she grabbed her mother's right index finger and sighed in content. After a few minutes of silence, she snuggled in for a cuddle.

Jasmine smiled down at her.

"Aw, that's my girl. Now let's see if a little rocking will help you-" her sentence was interrupted by Alia starting to cry. "Shh, shh, it's okay, sweetie, it's okay. What's the matter, hmmm?" Jasmine sat in the rocking chair and started rocking the almost two-year-old in her arms while singing to her. It calmed the one-and-a-half-year-old down, but it didn't stop her tears completely.

Suddenly, Alia pulled her mother's finger towards her and stuck it in her mouth.

Jasmine nodded in realization.

"Is that what's wrong with my baby girl. Is your last tooth coming in?"

Alia stopped crying the minute she had what she wanted, but she was still whimpering a little.

"Why don't we get you one of those teething rings Uncle Genie made for you. As adorable as you are and as much as I want to help you, Mama needs her finger back," Jasmine cooed. But as she gazed down at her half asleep daughter, she smiled. "I guess I don't need it back this second. I love you, Alia. Daddy and I both love you. Can you say 'Mama?"

Alia responded by closing her eyes and burying her face in her mother's chest.

"You'll say it when you're ready," Jasmine whispered as she too drifted off to sleep for the rest of the night…

*******

Jasmine's eyes fluttered open the next morning to sunlight streaming into Alia's room. She glanced down to see Alia just waking up. The baby was smiling and even giggling a little. It was a refreshing change from the night before.

"Good morning, Alia. Are you feeling better?" Jasmine kissed her cheek and put a hand through her hair. She changed her and dressed her for the day. As she was putting a headband in her fast growing hair, they were joined by Aladdin.

"Morning," he came up behind Jasmine and kissed her cheek before rubbing her shoulders.

"Morning, Aladdin," Jasmine replied. She bounced Alia before turning around to face her fiancé.

"Hey, kiddo," Aladdin greeted their daughter, "did u keep Mommy up all night?"

"No she didn't. She was teething a little. Before we go and get the fruit Genie needs to make that pie for the banquet tonight, we need to make sure we put one of those teething rings in Alia's bag. I think her last tooth is coming in."

"All right!" Aladdin cheered. He gave Alia a gentle high five and the baby giggled.

Just then, they were joined by Iago. He was glaring at Aladdin as he approached the two adults, completely ignoring Alia.

"Will you tell the monkey to give me my share of breakfast!" he demanded.

"Good morning to you too, Iago," Jasmine dead panned.

"Not for me, princess. I'm starving over here!"

For some reason, Alia found that extremely funny and started to giggle.

"Great," Iago griped, "not only do I not get breakfast, I have to be subjected to baby cuteness this early in the morning."

"Alia loves you," Jasmine insisted.

"Go!" Alia proclaimed.

"See?" Jasmine grinned.

"She might be excited to go to the market place," Aladdin observed.

Alia proved her father wrong by pointing to Iago and repeating her earlier statement.

"Go!"

"I gotta see if blue boy can make me some more pancakes," with that, Iago flew off.

Alia frowned as she watched him leave. She pouted, a sure sign tears weren't far behind. Fortunately, Aladdin distracted her by taking her for a ride on Carpet to the dining hall.

After breakfast was over, the family headed for the marketplace. Jasmine made sure Alia had two teething rings, along with her favorite teddy bear before they left.

Arriving at the marketplace, they were quickly assaulted by the different scents and aromas.

"Jasmine! Aladdin!"

The couple turned around to see Dhandi running towards them. The ten-year-old gave Jasmine a hug.

"Aw, hey, Dhandi, how are you?" Jasmine hugged her back.

"I'm good. Aw, may I hold Alia, please? I'll be careful, I promise."

Jasmine thought about it for a minute before nodding her head. She found a low rock wall and sat down on it. Dhandi did the same and waited for Jasmine to place the baby in her arms.

"You need to be gentle," Jasmine instructed.

"I will," Dhandi said earnestly.

"There you go," Jasmine gently placed Alia in Dhandi's arms. "Who has you, Alia, who has you? That's Dhandi. She's a good friend of ours. She's really nice."

"Hi, Alia," Dhandi made a funny face and the baby giggled. Getting an idea, she glanced down at Alia. "Alia, Alia, where's your Mama? Where's Mama?"

Alia loved this game, so she decided to play along.

Jasmine covered her eyes and then uncovered them a minute later.

"Here I am!" she cheerfully announced.

They played the game for a few more minutes before Alia started to fuss.

"It's okay," Dhandi tried to comfort, "your Mama's right there."

"I think she might be teething again," Jasmine explained. She reached over and gently took Alia from Dhandi. "Well, I'm gonna go see where Aladdin got off to. I'll see you later okay, sweetie."

"Okay. Bye-bye, Alia," with that, Dhandi was gone.

"Shh, shh, it's okay, Alia, Mama has you now. Is your tooth bothering you again?" Jasmine produced one of the teething rings from the bag and handed it to her now wailing daughter. To her relief, Alia calmed down a minute later. "Let's go see where Daddy went." With that, she secured Alia in what Genie told them was called a stroller and made sure she had her teddy bear. After that, she pushed the stroller forward. It wasn't long before she spotted Aladdin at a fruit vendor. He had just handed Ferouge some coins.

"There you are," Jasmine announced, "what happened? One minute you were there, the next you were gone."

"I saw Ferouge was selling the fruit Genie needed, so I thought I'd get it before it was sold out," Aladdin explained.

Jasmine nodded. She was about to say something when she noticed a few stalls were decorated grandly. Green, yellow and lavender crape paper was strung across them as well as signs proclaiming something.

"Do you know why those stalls are decorated?" Jasmine asked Ferouge.

The man nodded.

"It's for the annual auction," he replied.

"We have good business here," Aladdin pointed out, "why would merchants need to have an auction?"

"it's not for selling fruit," Jasmine frowned deeply as she suddenly remembered the reason behind the auction as a memory surfaced in her mind.

"What are they bidding on then?" Aladdin asked. He couldn't think of anything worth bidding on except for maybe animals. "Are they bidding on horses and camels?"

Jasmine shook her head.

"Then what?" her fiancé looked very confused.

"People," Jasmine replied, distain in her voice. She blinked the angry tears away. "They bid on people."


	2. Chapter 2

DISC: I DO NOT own any of the chars from Aladdin. They belong to Disney. I do however own the storyline of this story, along with Jasmine and Aladdin's daughter, Alia Faith.

"The Price of Friendship"

Chapter 2

"Are you serious?" Aladdin asked. They were walking back to the palace after their market trip.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Jasmine fixed him with a stare he knew only too well.

"Why would someone do that? And why would your father allow it?"

"Father doesn't know about everything that goes on in the city," Jasmine sighed heavily.

"Tell me about it," Aladdin quipped.

Jasmine let it go. She knew Aladdin wasn't trying to be rude. She also knew he spoke the truth. She had seen it firsthand when she herself had been turned into a rat a year ago. She had witnessed just how hard life was for most families in Agrabah. She had made a promise to herself that day to change things if she could.

""I have to do something," Jasmine said determinedly.

"What can you do?" Aladdin asked as he lifted Alia out of her stroller.

"I'm not sure yet. But I have to figure out a way to stop it."

Aladdin just shook his head as he carried Alia into the palace.

"Your Mama is someone special all right," he kissed the child's cheek.

******

At the banquet that night, Jasmine couldn't keep her mind on the conversation around her. The only thing on her mind was the auction the next day. She had to figure out a way to stop it.

"Jas?"

"Huh? What?" Jasmine glanced up to see Aladdin looking at her in concern.

"I'm sorry, Aladdin, what did you say?"

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. I just can't stop thinking of the auction. If only I could figure out a way to stop it."

"You will," Aladdin encouraged, kissing her softly on the lips, "I know you will."

Jasmine only prayed Aladdin was right.

*****

Early the next morning, Jasmine awoke, dressed and grabbed a muffin on the way out. She kissed Aladdin good-bye and promised him she would be careful. She checked on Alia and asked Genie to watch her until Aladdin woke up.

"Sure thing, Jas. Don't worry about a thing," Genie smiled at her.

"I know you won't let me down. Thank you," with that, she was gone.

As Jasmine walked the streets of Agrabah, her mind floated back to the memory of first seeing the auction taking place. She was barely twelve-years-old when her father had taken her out on a trip to the marketplace. She had been really excited to go. She had been picking out a snack when she heard a bunch of commotion a few yards away. While her father had been examining a stall of toys, Jasmine left to investigate. She rounded the corner to find a man beating a girl with a whip. ! Jasmine gasped and tried to stay out of sight. She couldn't believe someone could be that cruel to a child. Ducking behind a wall, she listened in on what the man was saying.

"I'll never be able to sell you to a rich family unless you behave."

"Sell?" Jasmine whispered to herself. She didn't understand. She knew people sold clothes, food and even toys, but she had never heard of people being sold before. As she continued to stand there, she watched in horror as the man threw the girl into a wagon and signaled the horses to move. She followed it for a few feet until it stopped at a nearby stall. She watched as the auction began. She couldn't take her eyes off of the sight. As the girl who she had watched being beaten was sold to a grouchy looking man, Jasmine prayed the girl would be able to escape soon. Realizing she had to get back to her father, Jasmine promised herself she would do whatever she could to put a stop to this kind of treatment no matter what it took.

The sound of someone crying out caused Jasmine's mind to snap back to the present. She sprinted down the street and rounded a corner to find a caravan unloading supplies. A little ways down the street, Jasmine caught sight of a girl taking off in the other direction. She ran after her, hoping she could help. But as she rounded another corner, Jasmine realized she wasn't the only one after her. A man with muscles to spare was right on the girl's heels.

Jasmine drew back as the man passed her. She was determined to help this girl, whoever she was. She just had to wait for the right moment to step in.

"How many times have I told you not to run away!" the man's words were followed by the sound of his hand hitting something.

Jasmine cringed when she realized he was hitting the girl in front of her. To Jasmine's surprise, the girl didn't answer.

"I have a lot of people wanting money from me. And you're my ticket out of here." He was about to deliver another slap when Jasmine stepped forward.

"Stop! I command you to leave her alone!"

Both the man and the girl glanced up at the newcomer's voice. The girl tried to shrink away while the man glared at the young woman now standing before him.

"Nobody gives me orders," he sneered.

"I just did," Jasmine said evenly, "now do as I command." She felt as if she was back in front of Aladdin's hovel, demanding Rasoul to let him go. She just hoped she had better success with Mr. Muscles than she had with the captain of the guards.

"And who are you to tell me what to do?" the man glared at her.

"I am Princess Jasmine of Agrabah," Jasmine pushed down her peasant coat to reveal her crown.

The man couldn't speak for a minute or two. All he could do was stare at her. When he regained his voice, he scoffed.

"The person who wants her told me he would pay 300 denari."

"I'll pay you twice that much," Jasmine offered.

The man considered her offer for a minute.

"You're joking!" he laughed humorlessly.

To prove she was serious, Jasmine pulled out a handful of coins from a bag attached to her sash. Holding out the coins to him, she narrowed her eyes.

"Does this amount satisfy you?" she asked.

The man nodded before pushing the girl forward.

"She's your problem now," with that, he was gone.

Jasmine sighed with relief that the man had left. Turning her attention to the young girl now shaking in front of her, she knelt down and tried to gain her attention. Now that she was seeing her up close, her heart broke. The girl had a bruise on her left cheek and her right eye was swollen shut. With the way she was gazing around, Jasmine could tell she was afraid.

"It's okay now," Jasmine assured her, "he's not going to hurt you again. I won't let him. My name is Jasmine. Can you tell me yours?"

The girl didn't answer for a few minutes. She just kept staring at Jasmine with the same fearful expression on her face.

"It's okay. I won't hurt you."

"Yeah right," the girl scoffed.

"I want to help you, but I can't unless you try and trust me. Do you think you can do that?" Jasmine held her breath, not sure of how the girl would react.

"Sadira," she finally answered.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Sadira," Jasmine gave her a friendly smile.

"That's new," Sadira quipped.

Jasmine sighed. She could see they had a long way to go.

"We better get off the streets and get you somewhere safe." Jasmine extended her hand towards Sadira. She frowned when the girl backed away in fear. "Sadira, look at me," she gently commanded.

Sadira gazed up at her, their eyes locking for the first time. It wasn't the fact that Jasmine had commanded her to do it that made Sadira obey, but the tone she had used. Nobody had ever spoken to her so kindly before.

"I know it's gonna take you time, but I hope you'll learn to trust me soon. Come on. We need to get you into some warm clothes." With that, Jasmine led the way back to the palace.

******

When they got there, Jasmine showed Sadira to a spare room and helped her find something clean and warm to wear. She showed her where the bathroom was.

"Do you need any help?" Jasmine asked.

"No," Sadira answered shortly.

"Okay. Call if you need anything," with that, Jasmine left. She entered her and Aladdin's bedroom to find him just waking up.

"hey Jas," he greeted, "I wasn't sure you'd be back yet. Where did you go?"

Jasmine sat down and explained everything that had happened from the time she had first spotted Sadira and that guy until afterwards.

"Just like old times, huh?" Aladdin quipped. He kissed her cheek and Jasmine leaned into his embrace.

"That's what I thought too. Did Alia wake up yet?"

"Once, but Genie got her back to sleep," Aladdin reported.

"I knew he could do it," Jasmine smiled. She was about to say something else when she got the sudden urge to check on Sadira. "I'll be right back." When she entered the bathroom, she found Sadira bathed and dressed with her hair soaking wet.

"Hey," Jasmine said softly. "How was the shower?"

Sadira shrugged.

"Do you wanna rest before breakfast?" Jasmine offered.

"I'm not hungry," Sadira said. She went over to the bed and sat down.

"Okay. But you need to try and eat something soon," Jasmine informed her.

Sadira nodded.

"If you wanna talk, I'm here," Jasmine offered. She smiled at her. "My friends say I'm a good listener."

"I'll keep that in mind, princess," Sadira said sarcastically.

"You can call me Jasmine," she assured her, "its fine."

"Whatever," Sadira mumbled. She was silent for a few minutes. Then she asked a question she wasn't sure she wanted the answer to. "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" Jasmine raised her eyebrows in confusion.

"Pay that guy off," Sadira emphasized, "I would think you have enough servants here."

"I did it because I want to help you. I don't like seeing anyone hurting and alone. You're free to leave any time you want. But I hope you'll stay long enough and let me help you."

Sadira thought about it for a long time before nodding her head.

"I never had anyone help me before. But I guess I can try and trust you."

"That's all I ask," Jasmine smiled at her new friend, "that's all I ask."


End file.
